Canadian News Organizations Sue OpenAI Over Alleged Copyright Infringement

A Lawsuit Worth Billions

OTTAWA: Canada’s biggest news organizations, including The Globe and Mail and public broadcaster CBC, have sued OpenAI, accusing the company of using their articles without permission to help train its artificial intelligence chatbot ChatGPT.

The media organizations claim that OpenAI breached copyrights by “scraping large swaths of content” and profiting from the use of this content, according to a statement. This was done without the permission of or compensation for the news organizations, which are seeking Can$20,000 (US$14,700) per article they claim was illegally scraped and used to train ChatGPT.

OpenAI’s Response

An OpenAI spokesperson responded to the lawsuit, saying that its chatbox is trained on publicly available data “grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation.” The company also collaborates with news publishers, the spokesperson added.

The First Lawsuit Against OpenAI

The lawsuit is the first by Canadian media against OpenAI. The organizations, which also include Postmedia, The Canadian Press, and Torstar, the parent of the Toronto Star newspaper, are seeking an injunction to stop the San Francisco-based company’s ongoing and future “unauthorised misappropriation” of their work.

A Message from Torstar’s CEO

“We will not stand by while tech companies steal our content,” Torstar chief executive Neil Oliver reportedly wrote in a memo to staff shortly after the court documents were filed. “While we embrace the opportunities that technological innovation can bring, all participants must follow the law, and any use of our intellectual property must be on fair terms,” he said.

The Impact of Generative AI

Generative artificial intelligence caught the world’s attention with OpenAI’s release of ChatGPT in late 2022. The technology can produce videos, pictures, or written works quickly, drawing from available content to answer demands expressed in everyday language. While elating some users, it has aroused ire in authors, artists, and others who believe their creations are being absorbed without them being asked or compensated.

Licensing Deals and Lawsuits

Publications such as the New York Times have filed lawsuits to defend their content, while some news organizations have opted to make licensing deals.

Conclusion

The lawsuit against OpenAI highlights the importance of fair use and intellectual property in the age of generative AI. As the technology continues to evolve, it is crucial that companies and creators work together to ensure that the rights of all parties are respected.

FAQs

* What is OpenAI’s ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI that can produce written works, videos, and pictures quickly, drawing from available content.
* What is the lawsuit about?
The lawsuit is about OpenAI’s alleged use of news articles without permission to train its ChatGPT chatbot, which could cost the company billions of dollars.
* What is the response of OpenAI?
OpenAI claims that its chatbox is trained on publicly available data “grounded in fair use and related international copyright principles that are fair for creators and support innovation.”
* What is the impact of generative AI?
Generative AI has the potential to revolutionize industries, but it also raises concerns about intellectual property and fair use.